Ted LePage makes his home debut tonight as head coach of the Jefferson City High School football team. LePage is completing his city tour after winning a state championship as a player for Helias High School and coaching Blair Oaks to a Class 2 state title in 2004.
Turning around a program that won 10 state championships under legendary coach Pete Adkins will definitely be a challenge for the new head coach.
The Jays open their home schedule tonight against Kansas City Central. Both teams are coming off season opening losses. Jeff City fell to Springdale while Central lost to Schlagle last week.
If either team wants to get a win under its belt, it’ll have to start with the running game. DeAndre Foster and Ricky Hicks have to perform well out of the Blue Eagles backfield.
For the Jays, it’ll be John Cooper getting most of the carries. Cooper had a tough time finding daylight last week carrying the ball 13 times for only 33 yards. If Cooper struggles again, keep an eye on quarterback Tyler Padgett who threw for 231 yards against Springdale.
Defensively, the Jays are led by two mountain-sized defensive linemen. Terrell Resonno, who has already committed to Missouri, is 6-foot-5 and weighs 255 pounds. His linemate Richard Johnson is slightly shorter at 6-foot-4 but weighs 265 pounds. Johnson has been offered by Kansas among other mid-major schools but hasn’t committed yet.